[HALIFAX, NS] — Premier Darrell Dexter has just released a statement saying he accepts and agrees with the recommendations of Nova Scotia’s Auditor General with regards to MLA expenses.

“I believe that the regulations need to be updated to reflect a contemporary office or working environment and that clear, adequate, guidelines are required,” said Dexter. More »

[BEDFORD, NS] — CBC News is reporting that a researcher at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography is concerned about Loblaw’s move to stop selling some varieties of seafood, citing it could hinder research into sharks off the coast. For more information, read the story at: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/02/08/ns-shark-superstore.html

[BARRINGTON, NS] — The owners of a taxi service in the Barrington area say because the municipality is not enforcing its taxi bylaw, illegal taxis are making their business hardly worth operating. Rogue operators are not licensed by the municipality and do not meet the requirements of the taxi by-law. More »

[MEMBERTOU, NS] — The five First Nation communities in Cape Breton issued a request for proposals last week for a study that will primarily focus on economic opportunities for aboriginal people. More »

[CHARLOTTETOWN, PE] — Financial details about the Provincial Nominee Program released last week show the government corporation that administered the PNP brought in over $295 million in gross earnings for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. That’s more than double the amount earned the year before. More »

[NEW LONDON, PE] — Farmers have voted to pressure the province to accelerate processing and payment of claims made by farmers impacted by last year’s milling wheat fiasco. More »

[FREDERICTON, NB] — The Telegraph-Journal is reporting that some New Brunswick companies could be caught between “a rock and a hard place” if Apple doesn’t agree to support Adobe Flash on its mobile devices. For more information, read the story at: http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/front/article/947092

[ST. JOHN’S, NL] — Urban housing starts were moderately lower during January in the St. John’s area, according to preliminary data released today by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

In a news release, it states January’s housing starts totaled 104 throughout the St. John’s area versus 124 starts in January 2009. More »

[TUSKET, NS] JHS FishProducts receives NSBI support: Technology and innovation in southwest Nova Scotia are helping one company take recycling to the next level. Tusket-based JHS FishProducts Ltd. is taking fish parts that would not normally be used in North America and turning them into an edible commodity using drying machinery. More »

ANNOUNCEMENTS

[HALIFAX, NS] Accountant Staffing and Administrative Staffing under new ownership: Accountant Staffing, Atlantic Canada’s only specialized accounting recruitment firm, and sister company, Administrative Staffing, have new owners. Troy Yeo, CA, and Carmen Dockendorff have become equal partners and bought the venture started by Jane Phillips in 2002. More »

[YARMOUTH, NS] — The mood aboard the buses was merry on the way up. Hopeful. However, dejection was a palpable emotion on the way back amongst those who made the long trek to Halifax Thursday morning. It was a last ditch attempt to have the provincial government reverse its decision to subsidize ferry service between Yarmouth and Maine. More »

[HALIFAX, NS] — CBC News is reporting that MLA Richard Hurlburt has done an about-face in his apology stance regarding the generator he expensed, acknowledging it was an inappropriate claim. For more information, read the story at: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/02/05/ns-yarmouth-hurlburt-generator.html

[INGONISH, NS] — Paul Mahre, a former member of the U.S. national ski team, has his sights set on buying Ski Cape Smokey from the Nova Scotia government to develop it into a year-round resort. More »

[AMHERST, NS] — If the government increases the HST to bring the province’s debt under control, Cumberland South MLA Murray Scott said it runs the risk of jeopardizing businesses along the border with New Brunswick.

The veteran MLA is asking Finance Minister Graham Steele to call for an assessment of cross-border shopping and its impact on provincial tax revenue and local business. More »

[FREDERICTON, NB] — The Telegraph-Journal is reporting that Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. has advised those interested in developing LNG terminals on the Maine side of Passamaquoddy Bay to give up their plans, because their efforts will be futile. For more information, read the story at: http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/front/article/944376